The concept of end effectors is old in the art. Generally, end effectors comprise a tool that is located at the end of a robotic arm. In one type of end effector, the end effector performs the pickup or grasping function while the robotic arm performs the displacement and movement of the article grasped by the end effector. End effectors often use a vacuum source or negative pressure to pick up an article. Generally, vacuum pickup devices are slower than mechanical pickup devices since there is a time lag to lower the pressure in the end effector to a level for lifting an object. A further difficulty with end effectors that use vacuum and are used to pick up food products is that oftentimes food particles get drawn into the end effector where they remain to cause possible contamination of subsequent articles handled by the end effector. The present invention through use of a vacuum source located in the end effector greatly reduces the pick up time. In addition, the end effector of the present invention can be disassembled without tools to permit a person to easily clean the end effector.